Southern Islands
The Southern Islands are two chains of islands in the Matoran Universe. History The Southern Islands were created by the Great Beings to serve as the interior of Mata Nui's legs in the Matoran Universe. The landmasses' specific purpose remain unclear as most have never been colonized, except by races considered "savage" to beings in the northern universe. The beings who do live there primarily deal in exotic fruit and Rahi, only found in that region. However, most live only to sustain themselves, not to make a living, due to the limitations of resources and technology. Following the disbanding of the Hand of Artakha, one of its agents, the Arbiter Axonn, lacked a reason for living and set about conquering a large handful of Southern Islands. He was later approached by Hydraxon, who informed him of the existence of the Order of Mata Nui. Given an opportunity of membership and a new purpose, Axonn released his empire and joined the Order of Mata Nui. During the expansion of the League of Six Kingdoms 80,000 years ago, the Islands were largely ignored by the Barraki, as they carried little strategic value, either for war or for profits. As such, life there was almost entirely unaffected by the Barraki's rule. The islands are ideal and oft-used for concealing many hidden things, such as the pool of Antidermis Mata Nui created the Makuta from, a huge pool of energized protodermis, and the island where Makuta Miserix was imprisoned following the Brotherhood of Makuta's revolt. Many other species have made the Southern Islands their homes over the years, and at one point, the Visorak conquered several of the islands. Alternate Universes Sentinels Alternate Universe In the Sentinels alternate universe, travel and exploration was encouraged and as a result, the Southern Islands became much more heavily populated than it is in the Core Universe. All the islands, in general, were more populated, and some previously unpopulated islands had colonies on them. Landscape Due to the various amounts of islands, the landscape of the chain varies from location to location. They are generally barren, with few amounts of species living on any given island. Most islands are tropical with a consistent weather pattern. Ora Nui Ora Nui is the largest region in the Southern Islands, and politically encompasses the two other islands directly next to it. It is very mountainous and rocky, and contains several volcanoes. Plantlife is moderate, but rare minerals are plentiful, making them a prime export of the region. Large portions of it are either mountains or stretches of canyons, while the rest is hilly grassland. Rode Nui An island north of Ora Nui, it too is very mountainous, however, it is nearly entirely covered in plantlife, and has several species exclusive to it. Zenax Nui By far the most valuable island in the island chains, it contained large amount of water, lush jungles, minerals, and a good supply of wild Rahi and plants to be eaten. Many Matoran reside here, primarily Po-, Le-, Su-, and Bo-Matoran. Nearly as big as Ora Nui, the north and northeastern areas are covered by dense jungle, where Bo- and Le-Matoran make their homes. The Southeast contains a small section covered with the ruins of a large fortress, rumored to hold several artifacts. To the west, a Volcano forms part of the coastline, and is surrounded by a large plain, where Po-Matoran are able to mine valuable materials. In the north, the main feature is the gargantuan waterfall which some Matoran harvest energy from. Powai Nui Located in the West Chain. It is climatically and geographically divided into four regions, making it hard to be overrun with Rahi. It boasts a Matoran population of 2,800, which engages in little contact with other islands apart from importation and exportation. The central region, Vo-Powai, has strong and turbulent weather, which cycles through various seasons and slightly affects the weather of the other regions as well. Leskya Nui Located in the West Chain. Formerly a boreal island ripe with cold-adapted flora and fauna and mellow weather. It was one of the most populated southern islands at 15,000 Matoran, including many immigrants. It was one of few islands in its region to maintain as much contact with the northern islands as it did. Due to its large population of Fa-Matoran, it was targeted by the Brotherhood of Makuta, leading to its eventual destruction, which left it as a hot and desolate island. Nonaki Nui It is Mata Nui's right, foot populated by Fe-Matoran. Hohapo Nui It is Mata Nui's left foot, populated by Fe and Su-Matoran. Cordak Other An island populated primarily with female Po-Matoran was known to exist in the East Island Chain. Known Inhabitants * Aescela * Aeza * Atelvas * Arbiters * Glykovians * Imbibers * Celuxa - Formerly * Cyrax - Deceased * Eltanin *Keetongu's Species *Kenod - Formerly * Klakk * Kuvxef * Kyhae * Luoya - Formerly * Miserix * Tahtorak * Terminator - Formerly * Terminator's Species * Tiruhk - Formerly * Tusval - Formerly * Viretha * Voron Category:Islands Category:Matoran Universe